Friday, December 2, 2016

The next generation Fiesta is unveiled with the most sophisticated range of driver assistance technologies and connectivity features ever in a volume small car in Europe, as part of the most comprehensive and versatile line-up of variants in 40 years of Fiesta history.

Ford revealed four distinctive production variants of the Fiesta, including the stylish Fiesta Titanium, the Ford Performance-inspired Fiesta ST-Line, the upscale Fiesta Vignale and the Fiesta Active crossover – the first in a new line-up of Active vehicles to be rolled out across the Ford range in years to come.

Three- and five-door Fiesta variants will deliver superior quality and refinement; feature a stylish new exterior and revolutionary interior design with more personalisation options than ever before. Ford has also further enhanced the compelling fun to drive character that has helped make Fiesta the best-selling car in Britain every year since 2008.

“It's because we share our customers’ passion for Fiesta that we’ve been able to take this iconic small car’s lovable, fun and sporty-to-drive character to the next level, with a greater choice of models than ever and each with a distinctive personality,” said Jim Farley, executive vice president and president, Europe Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company. "We now have a Fiesta option for every driver, including the luxurious Fiesta Vignale and the Fiesta Active crossover, with advanced technologies and features that small-car customers could only have dreamed of just a few years ago."

Among a class-leading range of Fiesta driver assistance features – supported by sensor technologies capable of monitoring up to 130 metres ahead – is an enhanced Pedestrian Detection system that for the first time can help prevent collisions at night; and the first Ford Active Park Assist system that can deliver brake interventions to prevent low-speed bumps when parking hands-free.

Fiesta is also the first Ford vehicle to feature a premium B&O PLAY Sound System, and for the first time offers an openable panoramic glass roof. The Fiesta’s sophisticated SYNC 3 communications and entertainment system is supported by floating high-definition touchscreens up to 8 inches in size, and a spacious and ergonomic interior features an almost 50 per cent reduction in centre console buttons for a more intuitive environment.

The most comprehensive Fiesta range ever meets growing consumer demand for greater choice and improved quality within the B-car segment.

The next generation Fiesta will for the first time be offered as a luxurious Ford Fiesta Vignale model – part of the Ford Vignale upscale product and ownership experience. The Fiesta Vignale joins the Mondeo, S-MAX, Kuga and Edge Vignale models as the highest expression of the Ford brand in Europe, and offers unique 18-inch alloys wheel designs, exclusive exterior detailing and colours, and hexagonal-quilted, tuxedo-stitched leather seats.

The Fiesta Active is the first Fiesta crossover model, combining rugged SUV-inspired styling that includes raised ride-height, roof bars and additional exterior bodystyling; hatchback practicality; and true Fiesta driving dynamics. The Active series will join the Fiesta line up later on in the launch period.

Ford earlier this year introduced for the first time a new range of ST-Line models that deliver exterior and interior styling inspired by Ford Performance models alongside powerful Ford EcoBoost petrol and TDCi diesel engines, for customers who aspire to the sporty image of Ford’s ST models – but do not require the full performance delivered by optimised ST engines and chassis with sports technologies.

The Fiesta ST-Line features sporty exterior styling including unique alloy wheel, grille, front and rear bumper and side-skirt designs. The interior features sports seats, alloy pedals and a flat-bottomed steering wheel, while the driving experience is enhanced with sports suspension.

Also revealed was the stylish Fiesta Titanium, indicative of the high specification and quality that will be delivered to Fiesta customers across Europe. Higher specification Ford models accounted for nearly 60 per cent of sales in the first 10 months of 2016. Titanium models account for 48 per cent of Fiestas sold this year. Fiesta will also be available in Zetec and Style versions.

“Registrations of high-specification B-segment models have grown 24 per cent year-on-year, and at the same time, demand for entry level models has grown 11 per cent,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. "Ford now offers greater choice for B-segment customers, providing exceptional value with the new KA+, while delivering a next generation Fiesta family of highly engaging, personalised models."

The world’s most technologically advanced small car

The next generation Ford Fiesta features a class-leading range of technologies to enhance comfort, convenience and safety. Advanced driver assistance technologies are supported by two cameras, three radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors, which in combination are able to monitor 360 degrees around the vehicle, and scan the road ahead up to a distance of 130 metres – more than the length of a football pitch.

Fiesta is the first Ford to deliver an enhanced version of Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detectionthat can detect people who are in or near the road ahead, or who may cross the vehicle’s path, using light from the Fiesta’s headlights at night.

The system is designed to reduce the severity of some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, or help drivers avoid some impacts altogether. A wider camera angle helps to better track pedestrian movements.

Also offered for the first time on Fiesta is Ford’s Active Park Assist with Perpendicular Parking, which helps drivers find suitable spaces and park hands‑free nose-to-tail and side-by-side with other cars. Further enhanced for Fiesta, the technology for the first time can now apply the brakes if drivers do not respond to system guidance and proximity warnings while performing forward and reverse manoeuvres, and a collision with a parked car or obstacle to the front or rear is imminent.

“For some drivers our automated parking technologies deliver a ‘future shock’: they remain so advanced that customers using them for the very first time can be a little awe-struck,” said Darren Palmer, small car vehicle line director, Ford of Europe. “Brake interventions for Active Park Assist can prevent distracted drivers from having low speed parking bumps, and make parking in tight spaces even less stressful.”

Further features available for the first time on Fiesta and offering enhanced functionality include:

Traffic Sign Recognition, which is now able to monitor multiple speed limits that apply to individual motorway lanes displayed on overhead gantries, and update the display if the driver changes lane
Auto High Beam, which now performs more effectively in situations where a central barrier divides opposing carriageways, and can detect oncoming trucks to avoid dazzling drivers positioned above the central divide. A new soft-ramping feature improves comfort for drivers at night with soft transitioning between high- and low-beam
Fiesta is the first car in its segment in Europe to offer Cross Traffic Alert, which warns drivers reversing out of a parking space of vehicles that may soon be crossing behind them. The feature is amongst 15 Fiesta driver assistance technologies in total, including Adaptive Cruise Control, Adjustable Speed Limiter, Blind Spot Information System, Distance Indication, Driver Alert, Lane Keeping Aid, Lane Keeping Alert and Forward Collision Warning.